> That's the way we do it for interplanetary stuff now. Data from
> spacecraft are typically returned in spacecraft clock time (SCLK, which is
> pronounced "sclock") and then translated to whatever time base you want it
> in. Right now, the clock on Mars Odyssey (as I type this) should be
> reading 2/0812228033. Dealing with things like leap seconds, local time
> conventions, and other time conversions are all handled here on Earth.

The spacecraft that I've had experience with coordinate the spacecraft clocks
with Earth-based time standards.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft (which at a distance of
0.01 A.U. can be considered to be on the edge of interplanetary space)
synchronizes its onboard clock to TAI time, expressed as the number of TAI
seconds since 1 January 1958. The spacecraft operators keep track of the clock
drift, taking into account the approximately 5 second light travel time, and
periodically uploads new clock frequency parameters to keep the onboard clock in
sync with TAI to within a specified requirement.

The upcoming Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories (STEREO) go in orbit
around the Sun, and are thus definitely interplanetary. They also use the JPL
SPICE system, and thus spacecraft SCLK files, like other interplanetary
missions. The STEREO clocks will be synchronized to UTC, including an
adjustment for leap seconds.

For both of these missions, the Earth-based time values, TAI or UTC, are
calculated and maintained onboard the spacecraft.